| Sunday, June 19, 2016, 10:33 p.m.
Don Rhoten had rarely seen snow when he moved from Florida to Pittsburgh in January 1994 to take over as CEO for the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf.
Rhoten will never forget that first week in Pittsburgh. During his walk to work on the first day, he was caught off guard by the volume of snow that fell. It continued to snow through the day, and the next and the rest of the week, so he made the only decision that seemed appropriate.
“I saw how much of a burden it was on everyone, so I said, ‘I will cancel school on Friday,’ ” recalled Rhoten, 66, of Churchill. “The staff was shocked, and then Friday came, and it was 45 degrees and sunny.”
That is among the countless memories Rhoten has made in his 23 years with the school, and he is hoping to make a few more before he retires on June 30.
“On one hand I’m very excited about the future and spending time with my family, but at the same time, WPSD is a family, and the folks here are all united in one purpose to provide kids with a good education and safe environment,” Rhoten said.
Gregg Bowers, 61, of Murrysville worked at WPSD for 39 years and recalled 1994 being a trying time in the field of deaf education.
“There were a lot of residential schools for the deaf closing, and though the WPSD wasn’t in danger of closing, it was losing numbers,” Bowers said. “What Don did was amazing in that he completed 19 renovations and added all deaf-friendly technology that allowed our students to be competitive with their hearing peers.”
Some of these renovations include the construction of a state-of-the-art learning center, along with a television studio and fully functioning 3-D printing facility on campus. In terms of technology, today there are iPads, smart boards and document cameras being incorporated into the classroom.
Rhoten still is in awe over how much technology, including digital hearing aids, has changed and advanced the field of deaf education. He pulls his cellphone from his pocket and says this piece of technology “levels the playing field.” He said that 20 years ago, if he needed to make a reservation somewhere, his wife would have to do it for him.
“Deaf and hard-of-hearing kids now have the same access to information that hearing kids have,” he said. “That empowers them. That is the biggest difference between when I started and now.”
Rhoten also touched on the controversy of non-deaf teachers instructing deaf and hard-of-hearing students. He said one reason that has become more common is because deaf people have more opportunities than just pursuing deaf education, but no matter the teacher, it all comes down to one thing, he said.
“The most important aspect of any teacher is that they have outstanding teaching skills and that they’re committed to teaching our kids,” he said.
Rhoten explained that his greatest accomplishment was opening the Scranton School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in 2009. At the time, Scranton’s only school for the deaf was closing, so Rhoten and his team made the move to give deaf students in the area a safe and welcoming environment.
Throughout his tenure Rhoten always has put the children first, according to Sarah Bartlebaugh, WPSD donor and public affairs manager.
“The parents trust us with their most important possessions, and we try to mold them into good people,” said Bartlebaugh, 33, of Harrison City. “That is something the staff takes seriously, and it comes from the top.”
Bowers had nothing but good things to say about Rhoten and the impact he had on the school.
“With all the renovations and everything, when they write the history books, they’re going to write this period down as the golden age of the WPSD,” Bowers said.
Rhoten explained that he will still help at the school when needed, but as of July 1, Steve Farmer will assume the CEO position.
Phillip Poupore is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-320-7820 or ppoupore@tribweb.com.
Source: TribLIVE.com